When it comes to finding a coffee table for your home, there are a lot of different types to choose from. The first step to getting your new table is to know what to look for and what your new furniture piece is called.
Modern homes today come in more shapes and forms than you can even imagine when picturing a current-day house, so furniture and accessories must adapt to suit the 21st Century abode. Coffee tables are a classic example of what every home needs, so they come in plenty of different forms to suit your style.
What are the Most Common Shapes and Sizes?
First of all, it’s important to note that no coffee table is the same as the next – but that’s good! It means that there are plenty of more options for you to choose from and gives you enough variety that you can always find a design that fits into your home like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
You’ll find that most modern coffee tables sit at a lower height than the furniture around them. Interestingly, early versions of the coffee table were placed behind couches, rather than in front of them. Because of this, they were much taller so that they were accessible whilst sitting down. However, as house designs and living rooms have changed and evolved over the years, so have the needs and designs for coffee tables, moving from behind the sofa to the foreground.
Many houses will have a long coffee table to suit a long couch or multiple chairs. This is a much better option for your house if you have a bigger family, more people living with you, or you just like to have lots of guests for an afternoon coffee. However, others may opt to go with a smaller, much more versatile coffee table that can fit into many places.
For example, these designs are perfect for smaller homes, where you only need to fit in one drink and maybe the odd candy bar. These pieces of furniture look great next to a recliner or small couches in front of the TV, leaving room for you to put your feet up without knocking your drink over.
The most conventional shapes for coffee tables are usually round or square. These simple designs can add a subtle touch to your room and keep things modest. However, if you’re looking for a more identifiable design that will stand out, then you can find thousands of different shapes online that suit your personality. With so many different house interiors and characteristics nowadays, you can find just about any design you desire.
Popular Materials Used for Coffee Tables
You’ll find nowadays that the most frequent materials used for coffee tables are the ones that are versatile to suit lots of different homes and homely designs. For example, glass tables will suit lots of different types of rooms and look very modern with their sleek design.
Accompanied with gold or silver colored metal, these tables can bring a whole room together with their elegance. On the other hand, many people choose to go for a classic wooden design, which can often go well with dining tables and the doors in your house. Metal tables can often add a modern touch to your room, catching the eye of those who use the coffee holder.
Brass is also often used for coffee tables a lot and tends to match lots of different styles of interior design. With a neutral color and and a shiny demeanor, the brass material provides a smart addition to your room. Similar to the glass designs previously mentioned, many coffee table oweners choose to go for a mirrored design that looks clean and slick, to fit in with a lot of modern decor.
What are Small Coffee Tables Called?
The obvious way to describe a low coffee table is to name it as the shape suggests. Lots of owners of coffee tables will frequently call their table a ‘round table’ if the table is of a circular shape. Similarly, coffee tables can be referred to as the ‘square table’ if the piece of furniture is of a square variety. It’s important to note that there is a difference between coffee tables and cocktail tables.
A frequently used form of coffee table is the ottoman table, however, they’re not only used for coffee. Without any arms or backs, these low couches are often used for placing your drinks and food on top of and are at a height where you can put your feet up if nothing is already on the small cushioned seat. A lot of these will have a compartment under the top so that you can store items, without taking up too much room.
Often, people will label low coffee tables as ‘drink tables’, the reasonings are quite simple. One of the main reasons for this is because many people will use these tables for other beverages too, not just coffee. It seems silly to refer to something as a coffee table if you don’t use it for coffee! Another reason for this is because the table itself is usually only big enough for a drink or two. This way you can keep a line between larger tables used for eating and working, and the nimble pieces of furniture we use for our refreshments.
A variant of coffee table that often get mixed up with low coffee tables are sofa tables. These are a much higher, longer, more narrow version of the low coffee tables that we see in today’s homes. Sofa tables are much more similar to the original coffee tables that stood tall behind couches.
Final Thoughts
People everywhere will use different terms and different names for coffee tables and usually will just refer to it in the simplest way. There aren’t any right or wrong answers when it comes to labelling the furniture in your house, it’s usually what comes to mind easiest. However, if you’re searching online for your next piece of furniture then most modern coffee tables are smaller and of similar designs.
The main difference you may need to search for is the material that you wish to have. With so many options out there, you’ll struggle to find a coffee table that doesn’t fit your taste.
